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Hall of Famer

Didn't care for this new style, I like this move by the NBA. Good on them. They will get some criticism over this but so be it. This look was more for aesthetic purposes than beneficial purposes like a headband would be where it absorbs sweat at least, even though players wear that just for the aesthetic appeal too.

I think it has to do with the contract Nike has with the NBA for the uniforms. Headbands maybe considered part of the uniform as clothing. Shoes would be a specific exemption or not considered part of the uniform.

Starter

Might be for safety then beacuase Raphael Nadal was wearing the ninja style headband (a little shorter in length) at the US Open with a Nike logo on it. I thought Fox and Harrell pulled the look off well.

Prospect

Probably, but better to nip it in the bud. Honestly if this stuff isn't regulated ever manner of headwear will end up showing up - including do-rags, super brightly colored and long tailed ones, etc. Players take every chance they can to express any individuality in this tightly controlled environment and where personal branding has become part of the game. Hence you are seeing the trend in super bright/unusually colored shoes. NBA saw where this was going and better to nix it now. I totally understand this decision.

Hall of Famer

Probably, but better to nip it in the bud. Honestly if this stuff isn't regulated ever manner of headwear will end up showing up - including do-rags, super brightly colored and long tailed ones, etc. Players take every chance they can to express any individuality in this tightly controlled environment and where personal branding has become part of the game. Hence you are seeing the trend in super bright/unusually colored shoes. NBA saw where this was going and better to nix it now. I totally understand this decision.

May as well take arm sleeves away too then.... Who cares if a player likes to “express himself” with a little semi-practical fashion statement. I loved back in the early 2000s when a bunch of players had their own embroidered sweatbands they wore on their upper arms for some reason.

Prospect

May as well take arm sleeves away too then.... Who cares if a player likes to “express himself” with a little semi-practical fashion statement. I loved back in the early 2000s when a bunch of players had their own embroidered sweatbands they wore on their upper arms for some reason.

I hear you man and I like personal style. I'm just speaking from the league's POV and the current business climate. The NBA is: Agents vs Owners. It's a perpetual struggle. This is the owners taking back a piece of branding real estate from agencies. They are SUPER territorial about the uniform. That's essentially their Intellectual Property. Also... potential for it to become political which would be super toxic to the brand no matter the political side. Ben Wallace's stuff would never be tolerated today. Things have just drastically tightened up... which is one of the reasons players look for these personal style outlets.

They won't ban arm/leg sleeves because those have practical applications. Notice they only allow simple solid colors though, so even that is tightly regulated. Looks like only white/black or approved team colors are allowed. Nobody's blasting a crazy color or pattern on their sleeves.

This is also the reason for tattoos being so popular among NBA players. It's personal branding.

"All the world's a brand and all the men and women merely influencers" - Shakespeare.

Hall of Famer

May as well take arm sleeves away too then.... Who cares if a player likes to “express himself” with a little semi-practical fashion statement. I loved back in the early 2000s when a bunch of players had their own embroidered sweatbands they wore on their upper arms for some reason.

I get where you are coming from but keep this in mind, the NBA just recently allowed the players to mix and match any type of sneakers they want in a form to "express themselves" and they have plenty of opportunities to express themselves pre and post game with their outfits. When you are on the court it's all about business and keeping it simple in my opinion, there is plenty of other platforms out there for these players to be themselves. Do you see Soccer players out there wearing all this extra stuff they don't need? what about football? what about baseball? point being, on court/field play should be professional and having a Tekken style headband just doesn't fit that category.

Starter

I (think) I understand both sides. But I think the NBA went just a step too far - probably an over-correction to their having given up control over shoe colors. But also a legitimate concern about where this will lead to. The NBA wants to keep all aspects of the uniform "uniform." They want things to appear neat and tidy, and they want to prevent unregulated commercial branding and artistic expression (during the games). But why not allow the ninja headbands, but just require them to be generic? Specify the allowed colors and give them a maximum width and length. But, it's easy to imagine a few of the "league guardians" saying "No, we've got to nip this one in the bud, or next time they'll bring in the first amendment! We should have banned those damn tatoos when we had a chance."

Hall of Famer

I get where you are coming from but keep this in mind, the NBA just recently allowed the players to mix and match any type of sneakers they want in a form to "express themselves" and they have plenty of opportunities to express themselves pre and post game with their outfits. When you are on the court it's all about business and keeping it simple in my opinion, there is plenty of other platforms out there for these players to be themselves. Do you see Soccer players out there wearing all this extra stuff they don't need? what about football? what about baseball? point being, on court/field play should be professional and having a Tekken style headband just doesn't fit that category.

Idk about soccer, I’ve never watched a match in my life, but football players wear all kinds of sleeves and forearm half-sleeves and unnecessary biceps bands and ninja headbands under their helmets.

Baseball players have hats, so it doesn’t really apply (though long hair guys like Johnny Cueto and Bryce Harper wear head/hair sleeves and I saw a pitcher with an actual do-rag under his hat once last season). And how about every other guy on the field wearing a iced/blinged chain?

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And in my opinion, the absurd non team colored mis-matched neon shoes are far worse and less professional looking than the headbands. Not that I think those should be taken away either.

Prospect

Idk about soccer, I’ve never watched a match in my life, but football players wear all kinds of sleeves and forearm half-sleeves and unnecessary biceps bands and ninja headbands under their helmets.

Baseball players have hats, so it doesn’t really apply (though long hair guys like Johnny Cueto and Bryce Harper wear head/hair sleeves and I saw a pitcher with an actual do-rag under his hat once last season). And how about every other guy on the field wearing a iced/blinged chain?

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And in my opinion, the absurd non team colored mis-matched neon shoes are far worse and less professional looking than the headbands. Not that I think those should be taken away either.

Brian Wilson was once fined for having too brightly colored orange shoes. While on the Giants. Baseball uniforms are EXTREMELY regulated. Imagine shoes in the NBA being controlled for color that tightly (and therefore cannot earn millions from shoe deals). NBA players have the sweetest bargaining agreement of all major sports. And they can thank exactly one man for that: Michael Jordan. He changed the ENTIRE game.

Interestingly, their refs/ump are shown the most respect out of all major sports. Coincidence?

Hall of Famer

Idk about soccer, I’ve never watched a match in my life, but football players wear all kinds of sleeves and forearm half-sleeves and unnecessary biceps bands and ninja headbands under their helmets.

Baseball players have hats, so it doesn’t really apply (though long hair guys like Johnny Cueto and Bryce Harper wear head/hair sleeves and I saw a pitcher with an actual do-rag under his hat once last season). And how about every other guy on the field wearing a iced/blinged chain?

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And in my opinion, the absurd non team colored mis-matched neon shoes are far worse and less professional looking than the headbands. Not that I think those should be taken away either.

players have been wearing hats in Baseball since its existence but I'll give you the fact that some dudes wear chains, just like players do in the NFL as well. Football players have the sleeves so they don't rip their skin apart from all the times they hit the turf, sure, some do it for aesthetic purposes but those too have a purpose in the sport rather than NBA players looking like Naruto out there for no reason other than to start a new trend.

The league is apparently is worried about regulating the length of these. Maybe they afraid of players getting their fingers caught. Better ban all clothes and hair just to make sure. Even then there are some cavities and dangling parts bound to cause issues.

Starter

The league is apparently is worried about regulating the length of these. Maybe they afraid of players getting their fingers caught. Better ban all clothes and hair just to make sure. Even then there are some cavities and dangling parts bound to cause issues.